Politicians are seducing working parents with promises of better maternity and paternity leave. But legislation must be supported by employers, and many need educating. Duncan Brown reports
Earlier this month one of our new parents at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development came to work with bagged eyes and the tell-tale stain of regurgitated milk on his jacket shoulder.
Being a parent is hardly glamorous but, all of a sudden, us dads and mums are becoming desirable political property.
The major parties have been falling over themselves in recent weeks, as the pre-election posturing starts to get serious, with enticing offers of better childcare, enhanced maternity pay and longer paternity leave. The latest proposals from the government involve the period of paid maternity leave rising from the present six to nine months and, eventually, to a year.
Mothers would be able to transfer part of this to partners and all parents would get a right to request flexible working, rather than only those with younger kids. The Conservatives have responded with similar financial inducements and the promise of greater flexibility and parental choice in their application. No wonder the UK’s birth rate has just increased for the first time in more than a decade.
No doubt the British Chambers of Commerce will already be adding these proposals to their estimated £11bn ‘cost’ of employment regulation since Labour came to power - and opposing them. Much more productive to get women and children back down the mines.
At the CIPD we support actions that help employees to better achieve both work and home life objectives, even if that mythical ‘balance’ is beyond the reach of most.
Flexible working policies impact on staff recruitment and retention. However, our research is leading us to question the effectiveness of employment legislation alone in promoting the needs and wishes of employees.
Take equality and diversity. Our review, Discrimination and the Law: Does the System Suit the Purpose, concludes that progress over the past 25 years has been disappointing. In areas such as equal pay, legislation has hindered as much as it has helped progress, with some claims taking more than a decade to progress.
Our latest survey of flexible working and paternity leave illustrates the difficulties. We found that 80% of employers, across all sectors and sizes, offer flexible working options, and 90% of employees have had their requests granted under the 2003 legislation. Three-quarters of employers have already gone beyond the requirement and offer the facility to all staff.
Yet the government’s intention to increase the two-week period of statutory paternity leave faces obstacles beyond just the chambers of commerce. Fewer than half the fathers we polled said they would take paternity leave at the current rate of £102.80 a week. We found many fathers who, instead, had taken holiday entitlement to help out at home. Legislating increased leave entitlement alone is, therefore, unlikely to have any impact.
Our study demonstrates the huge variety of circumstances and views that any legislation has to cope with and the strength of local enabling, and disabling conditions, particularly:
n In workplace culture. One dad told us,’ you could lose a contract - there’s pressure to be in’
n In line manager support. Another told us, ‘My boss never mentioned paternity leave’
n In employee attitudes. An electrician ‘was tearing my hair out after three days at home - I’m not used to being around the house’.
A coherent, well-designed and flexible framework of employment law is an important lever for change, but it is not enough. Effecting change has to be about engaging mindsets and personal ownership. And crucially, the business case for action and the micro-level needs of the organisation and employees must be centre stage.
Enlightened employers with flexible working and other people’s management policies that go beyond the minimum aren’t stupid or currying favour with the government. They recognise that - as at Asda and Tesco - in our service and people-based economy, making somewhere a great place to work isn’t only an on-cost. It’s critical in making it a great place for customers and a great place to make money in for investors. People management makes the difference.
So who’ll be first to offer dry cleaning as a paternity benefit?
n Duncan Brown is assistant director general, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Earlier this month one of our new parents at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development came to work with bagged eyes and the tell-tale stain of regurgitated milk on his jacket shoulder.
Being a parent is hardly glamorous but, all of a sudden, us dads and mums are becoming desirable political property.
The major parties have been falling over themselves in recent weeks, as the pre-election posturing starts to get serious, with enticing offers of better childcare, enhanced maternity pay and longer paternity leave. The latest proposals from the government involve the period of paid maternity leave rising from the present six to nine months and, eventually, to a year.
Mothers would be able to transfer part of this to partners and all parents would get a right to request flexible working, rather than only those with younger kids. The Conservatives have responded with similar financial inducements and the promise of greater flexibility and parental choice in their application. No wonder the UK’s birth rate has just increased for the first time in more than a decade.
No doubt the British Chambers of Commerce will already be adding these proposals to their estimated £11bn ‘cost’ of employment regulation since Labour came to power - and opposing them. Much more productive to get women and children back down the mines.
At the CIPD we support actions that help employees to better achieve both work and home life objectives, even if that mythical ‘balance’ is beyond the reach of most.
Flexible working policies impact on staff recruitment and retention. However, our research is leading us to question the effectiveness of employment legislation alone in promoting the needs and wishes of employees.
Take equality and diversity. Our review, Discrimination and the Law: Does the System Suit the Purpose, concludes that progress over the past 25 years has been disappointing. In areas such as equal pay, legislation has hindered as much as it has helped progress, with some claims taking more than a decade to progress.
Our latest survey of flexible working and paternity leave illustrates the difficulties. We found that 80% of employers, across all sectors and sizes, offer flexible working options, and 90% of employees have had their requests granted under the 2003 legislation. Three-quarters of employers have already gone beyond the requirement and offer the facility to all staff.
Yet the government’s intention to increase the two-week period of statutory paternity leave faces obstacles beyond just the chambers of commerce. Fewer than half the fathers we polled said they would take paternity leave at the current rate of £102.80 a week. We found many fathers who, instead, had taken holiday entitlement to help out at home. Legislating increased leave entitlement alone is, therefore, unlikely to have any impact.
Our study demonstrates the huge variety of circumstances and views that any legislation has to cope with and the strength of local enabling, and disabling conditions, particularly:
A coherent, well-designed and flexible framework of employment law is an important lever for change, but it is not enough. Effecting change has to be about engaging mindsets and personal ownership. And crucially, the business case for action and the micro-level needs of the organisation and employees must be centre stage.
Enlightened employers with flexible working and other people’s management policies that go beyond the minimum aren’t stupid or currying favour with the government. They recognise that - as at Asda and Tesco - in our service and people-based economy, making somewhere a great place to work isn’t only an on-cost. It’s critical in making it a great place for customers and a great place to make money in for investors. People management makes the difference.
So who’ll be first to offer dry cleaning as a paternity benefit?
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